Motivating oneself is more challenging than it is made out to be. Like anyone, sometimes you set the alarm and can’t get out of bed, write a to-do list, then get overwhelmed and end up on Instagram, Netflix, or even sleeping.
One’s morale can go low at any time, and come on; we are humans and not machines, so we can only do so much. Then, the question comes in: How do you motivate yourself? Motivation can give you that extra push to get something done, but it only comes when you need it, and encouraging yourself to keep going does not always prevail.
Setting a goal to attain a new level in life can be challenging, especially when you feel completely low and are not in the right frame of mind to push yourself. So, how do you motivate yourself to follow through on your commitments when you don’t feel like doing the work?
If you are trying to achieve long-term plans and want to ensure that you have clear and manageable goals that you maintain, then use these strategies to get yourself back on track, become who you want to be, and work toward your goal.
Innovative Ways to Motivate Yourself
Never forget “Why.”
Work towards identifying the reason behind the core value driving your goal—why is this goal important to you?
Understanding “why” you want to succeed or achieve your goal is the first significant step to motivating yourself. Set the alarm every morning to sit and visualize where you want to be, the amount of dedication you need to put in, and how relieved and satisfied you will feel when the set goal is achieved.
During your quiet time, remind yourself of the ills that come with procrastination and how it can drag you back; be happy with what you want to achieve, and say, “If I get this done now, then I will be elevated to a better position.”
Embrace Gratitude
Gratitude encourages self-improvement and connection with others (team members or colleagues) and improves your mental, physical, and overall well-being.
It might seem impossible to motivate yourself when stuck, but that is where you should stop, take a step back, and try to appreciate your feelings. Dedicate some minutes of your time in a day to going through all the things you are grateful for, and you will see how fast you get to feel good about yourself.
You can write them down, get a book specifically for gratitude, for example, appreciation for life, your family, your progress, etc., and it will become one of the ideal ways you motivate yourself every day.
Follow Inspiring People
Several people out there can serve as a means of self-motivation for you. I can understand that not every figure out there is inspiring or a role model to follow, but at least we still have good ones.
The internet today makes it possible to see the lives of people and identify who your goals align with. Some people make videos talking about their struggles in the past and how they kept pushing and even gave advice to people who were low and needed to be motivated. It depends on where you are headed; it could be a teacher, musician, producer, actor, entrepreneur, banker, lawyer, medical doctor, freelancer, etc.; in as much as you find them inspiring, they can serve as a means of motivation.
Normalize Healthy Competition
Competition is like two sides of a coin; you have the healthy and unhealthy sides. It is advisable to pick the healthy one to be happy with yourself. If you are a student, a remote worker, or have a 9-to-5 job, make healthy competition towards completing tasks because it keeps you self-motivated and lightens the environment.
To make a healthy competition more fun, attach a price to the task, and you realize that at the end of the day, it is a win-win situation where you get to work in a healthy environment, complete your task, and even get a reward.
Give Yourself Occasional Breaks to Avoid Burnout
One essential way to stay motivated is to take breaks between tasks because, as much as you want to avoid distractions, too much work can make you less productive.
Taking breaks when working gives your mind a chance to breathe and recover from the intense focus you put into what you have been doing, but it is also essential to use your break time judiciously.
For example, instead of using your break time to check on other tasks you have lined up, you should relax your mind and body and take a short walk within or outside your work environment. With this, your break is adequately utilized, and you can return to work with refilled energy and even better ideas.
Listen to Motivational Podcasts
Motivational podcasts can lift one’s spirit, giving you reasons to visualize the closeness of what you aspire to and are working towards achieving and to keep pushing. You can listen to podcasts anywhere and at any time to motivate yourself; after all, we are what we eat, but we are also the content we consume because nutrition is not just what you put on your plate but also the movies you watch and the podcasts you listen to.
Some podcasts to help you stay motivated are the Dream Bigger podcast, Confident Collective, A Way With Words, the Michelle Obama podcast, and many others.
Institute Micro-changes
Micro-changes are like small steps a person takes to improve productivity because they help you build better habits one step at a time. You don’t have to force a lot of tasks on yourself because you want to achieve your goals. After all, that can lead to a drastic breakdown that might leave you with low morale, and you don’t want that to happen.
For example, if you aim to stand out as a writer, you could read daily and understand what the readers want. As you actualize this small habit, you improve your skill and may even become the best in the coming time; the micro-change slowly builds into more effective practice. So, choose one thing and include it in your daily plan to help improve your skills.
Conclusion
It would be best if you tried not to be demotivated when things aren’t happening as quickly as you had hoped, and that is why you shouldn’t always go through downtime all by yourself. Learn from people who have gone where you are headed to help you avoid major pitfalls and set for yourself a highly motivating and realistic timetable for success.